Original hops: 1960 — Hermann (NW), Wright City (NNW, telephone only), St. Louis CO (ENE), Hillsboro (SSE, telephone only).
Later hops: 1979 — Sullivan (SW)
Hidden by trees off Route 66 about 30 miles southwest of downtown St. Louis is the Gray Summit, Missouri, microwave repeater for the AT&T Long Lines network. Built in the mid-1950s, this site originally hosted four hops — two carrying telephone and television traffic along the Kansas City-St. Louis route, and two carrying just telephone traffic along the Elsberry-Campbell-Memphis, Tennessee, telephone route. Between 1966 and 1979, a fifth hop was added southwest to Sullivan, which continued southwestward to the Rosati site along the Kansas City-Halifax-Oakdale, Illinois, route.
The Gray Summit site consists of two towers and multiple base station buildings. All previous antennas, such as the KS-15676 horn-reflector antennas and a parabolic aimed toward Hillsboro, have been removed by American Tower Corporation — who currently owns the site and leases space to wireless communications companies.
The taller of the two towers is labeled “Gray Summit 1A” and currently has various antennas installed up and down the tower. Its top platform could hold two antennas. “Gray Summit 1B” appears to have been used as the main tower, with two top plaforms that could hold six antennas. The “B” tower has several cell repeater antennas on it, like the adjacent, taller “A” tower.
Two modern base stations were installed by American Tower Corporation around the base of each tower. Some external equipment, likely used for the cell carriers, are mounted in their own outside enclosures. One such carrier is AT&T, who has equipment and multiple cable markers along the northern edge of the property off Little Tavern Road. (I confirmed AT&T uses the site, as my phone displayed full signal strength at the site.)
Along the southern edge of the property is the original AT&T base station building. Gray Summit originally had a white concrete block building like the other repeater sites along the Kansas City-St. Louis microwave route. However, the building was expanded — likely in the early-mid 1960s — with a concrete “semi-hardened” facility similar to those found at repeater sites along the Kansas City-Halifax-Oakdale, Illinois, route. At the southeastern edge of the concrete addition is the generator air intake “blast shield”, generator exhaust and a rear entrance. A weathered “Warning” sticker can be found on the rear door. The sticker is original, as the original Bell System logo — predating Saul Bass’ 1969 logo — is still visible after decades of weather and sunlight, although just barely.
Writing in permanent marker — including “Gray Summit” (or “Grey Summit,” sic) — can also be found on pieces of the waveguide racks running between the two original AT&T base station buildings and the tower bases.
Photos: October 17, 2024
The two former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay towers near Gray Summit, Missouri, seen Oct. 17, 2024. Despite having two towers, the site has only five microwave hops according to the 1979 route map. Gray Summit was originally built along the Kansas City-St. Louis microwave route in the mid-1950s, with the 1960 route map showing Gray Summit as having four hops: One northwest to Hermann, one north-northwest to Wright City, one east-northeast to the downtown St. Louis central office, and one south-southeast to Hillsboro. By 1979, an additional hop was added southwest to Sullivan, a later site that continued to Rosati. (The tower on the right is tower B, 1240176; left tower is A, 1005494.)The tower towers at Gray Summit. The left tower is “Gray Summit 1A,” a 363-foot tower with a top platforms capable of holding two horn-reflector antennas, ASR 1005494. The right tower, “Gray Summit 1B,” ASR 1240176, had two top platforms configured to hold six horn-reflector antennas. Today, cell repeater and other antennas are located on the two towers.A view of the tower area, showing the two newer base station buildings and the original white concrete block building from when AT&T constructed the site.A modern AT&T cable marker and equipment boxes are seen at the northeastern corner of the site, off Little Tavern Road. A Kohler backup generator used to power the site during power outages can also be seen.Identification for the “1A tower,” which is the larger of the two towers found at the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Gray Summit, Missouri, seen Oct. 17, 2024, on the tower area fence. American Tower Corporation currently owns the site and lease space out to wireless communications companies, such as cell carriers, wireless internet service providers and land mobile radio repeater operators.Site identification sign for the smaller tower — 1B, or ASR 1240176 — at the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Gray Summit, Missouri, seen Oct. 17, 2024, off Little Tavern Road.The original AT&T Long Lines base station buildings seen Oct. 17, 2024, on the southern side of the former Gray Summit, Missouri, Long Lines microwave relay site. American Tower Corporation currently owns the tower and leases out space to users, with many using modern base stations designed for cell carrier equipment and other compact equipment. However, the long runs of waveguide racks are still intact, leading from the AT&T buildings (the original being the white concrete building on the right, and the left concrete “semi-hardened” facility added later) to the two tower bases.“Grey Summit” written in permanent marker on a waveguide rack frame, seen Oct. 17, 2024, at the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Gray Summit, Missouri.The original AT&T Long Lines white concrete block base station building seen Oct. 17, 2024, on the southern side of the Gray Summit, Missouri, microwave relay site. The entrance appears to be slightly ajar but padlocked, with a “Danger: Asbestos Cancer and Lung Disease Hazard” sign on it.The rear concrete “semi-hardened” addition seen Oct. 17, 2024, at the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Gray Summit, Missouri. This building is south of the original white concrete block building, which was a common design on the Kansas City-St. Louis route. The solid concrete “semi-hardened” facility was more common on the Kansas City-Halifax-Oakdale, Illinois, route. Oddly, there are windows throughout this facility.Entrance to the concrete “semi-hardened” addition to the Gray Summit, Missouri, AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site, which is behind (south of) the original white concrete block structure. On the other side of the entrance is the free-standing remnants of the “blast shield” that would have protected the generator air intake (seen right of it.) Above the generator air intake is the generator exhaust.Better view of the “blast shield,” generator air intake, generator exhaust, and electric meter seen Oct. 17, 2024, on the southeastern corner of the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site base station addition near Gray Summit, Missouri.Remnants of a faded “Bell System” Warning label posted on the southeastern entrance to the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site base station addition near Gray Summit, Missouri, seen Oct. 17, 2024. The old (pre-Saul Bass) “Bell System” logo is still barely visible at the bottom center of the label.
